On the heels of a devastating winter that has seen mule deer populations decrease by a staggering 80%, Wyoming’s wildlife officials are making waves with new proposed lion hunting regulations.
The draft regulation would see a near 50% increase in mountain lion quotas in a pair of western ranges that were hit particularly hard this winter. With hopes of protecting what is left of the mule deer herd, officials are hoping that increased pressure on large predators such as mountain lions will give the survivors some reprieve.
Mountain lion tags in Wyoming are sold over the counter in unlimited quantities, officials place quotas or caps on individual hunt areas. Once those quotas are met, the season is over and all unused tags are deemed obsolete.
Cat quotas were raised during the 2022 session (quotas are typically set once every three years), but wildlife managers are proposing an additional bump for 2023 which is facing both support and a fair bit of opposition.
The draft regulations were set into motion after a tremendous amount of pressure was put on the state Fish and Game Department by big game outfitters and guides. With many believing that removing apex predators such as lions will undoubtedly help the ailing mule deer population.
On the other hand, the new proposal has been vehemently opposed by seasoned cat hunters who claim that by removing mature toms that would typically feed on larger animals such as elk, you are still leaving the younger felines to become experts at killing deer.
The reasoning has been backed up as well.
A study out of the Teton Cougar project illustrates that while more lions may very well be harvested, the older the animal harvested, the larger the prey it specialized upon. This reasoning alone is enough for many lion hunters to believe that the new proposed regulations will actually prove to have a negative impact on mule deer populations.
Despite this fact, Wyoming officials are standing behind the proposal as well as additional aerial coyote culling to help the state’s mulies rebound.
“I do believe that a potential exists to provide a more rapid rebound by targeting predator species,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik stated back in April. “It’s certainly not absolute, but the potential exists.”
The new regulations are still subject to public comment, which are being accepted through the beginning of August.
